Difference between revisions of "microprocessors used in spacecrafts"

Latest revision as of 17:26, 10 May 2019

Throughout the years, microprocessors have played a large role in spacecrafts. space-qualified microprocessors are designed to be exceptionally reliable and highly durable. Due to their unique nature, the same set of chips that have been tested and proven to work are used in many spacecrafts. Below is a list of microprocessors used in spacecraft.

1950s[edit]

Year	Picture	Spacecraft	Chipset
1959-1963	200px	Mercury spacecraft	None
1959-1963	200px	Mercury spacecraft	Description: The Mercury spacecraft, NASA's first human spaceflight, had barely enough space for a single occupant. The spacecraft had no independent maneuvering capabilities - relying completely on the Atlas booster rocket. Because of that, it was unnecessary for the spacecraft to have a dedicated on-board computer. Limited functionality was done by various smaller systems.

1960s[edit]

Year	Picture	Spacecraft	Chipset
Year	Picture	Spacecraft	System	Processor	Frequency	Memory	Weight
1962-1966		Gemini Spacecraft	Gemini Guidance Computer	discrete IC RTL	7.143 kHz	19.5 KB	58.98 lb
1962-1966		Gemini Spacecraft	The Gemini Spacecraft was part of Project Gemini, NASA's second human spaceflight program.
1961-1972		Apollo spacecraft	Apollo Guidance Computer	discrete IC RTL	2.048 MHz	4 KB (RAM) 73.73 KB (ROM)	70 lb
1961-1972		Apollo spacecraft	The Apollo spacecraft was part of the Apollo program, NASA's third human spaceflight program.

1970s[edit]

Year	Spacecraft	Description
1971	Pioneer 10	The Pioneer 10, which was launched on March 3, 1972, became the first spacecraft to achieve escape velocity from the Solar System. The spacecraft's process were made of individual transistor-transistor logic chips. A common myth is that the Intel 4004 powered the Pioneer 10, however, this is incorrect.
1973	Pioneer 11	The Pioneer 11, was launched on April 6, 1973 in order to study the Asteroid belt. Just like it's twin probe, the Pioneer 10, its CPU was also a custom-designed TTL CPU.
1973	Skylab	The Skylab, which was launched on May 14, 1973, and operated until 1979, used an IBM System/4Pi model TC-1 (Tactical Computer), a miniaturized and hardened version of the IBM System/360 computers.
1975	Viking 1	The Viking 1, the first of two spacecrafts, was launched on August 20, 1975. The Viking 2, was launched a year later on September 9, 1975 The computer on-board the Viking Orbiter was the Viking Orbiter CCS, a custom 18-bit TTL computer designed by General Electric. The lander computers, the Guidance, Control and Sequencing Computer, used two Honeywell HDC 402 microprocessors. (A common myth is that the Viking used an RCA 1802, this is incorrect).
1975	Viking 2
1977	Voyager 1	The Voyager 1 and its sister craft Voyager 2 were launched on September 5 and August 20 of 1977 and are still operating to date (2014). On August 25, 2012, NASA announced that Voyager 1 entered interstellar space. Each craft carries three dual-redundant computer systems. The first one, the Voyager Command and Control Subsystem (CCS), was in charge of general spacecraft sequencing and general health functionality. The second one, the Voyager Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystems (AACS) used a slight variation of the CCS. The third computer was the Voyager's data computer, which was a custom 4-bit CMOS microprocessor.
1977	Voyager 2

1980s[edit]

Year	Picture	Spacecraft	Description
1981-2011		Space Shuttle	The Space Shuttles uses 5 identical (for redundancy) 32-bit IBM APA-101S microprocessors. The shuttle system was called the Data Processing System which was composed of Primary Avionics Software System (PASS), that ran in 4 of the computers and the Backup Flight System on the fifth.
1989		Galileo	The Galileo spacecraft uses the RCA 1802 CPU.

1990s[edit]

Year	Spacecraft	Description
1990	Hubble Space Telescope
1991	[[Wikipedia:Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite\|UARS]. The UARS spacecraft used the NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer (NSSC-1), although the various instruments probably had embedded microprocessors.]
1991	CGRO
1992	MSTI-1
	SAMPEX
	EUVE
	TOPEX/Poseidon
1993	PoSAT-1
1994	MSTI-2
1994	Clementine
1995	MSTI-3
1996	FAST
1997	Mars Global Surveyor
	Mars Sojourner Rover	80C85 CPU.
	Cassini–Huygens
1998	International Space Station
	SWAS
	TRACE
	Deep Space 1
1999	Terra
	WIRE
	UoSAT-12
	FUSE

2000s[edit]

Year	Picture	Spacecraft
2000		Cluster II
2000		MightySat-2.1
2001		Genesis
2002		Aqua
2002		RHESSI
2003		Spirit Rover
		Opportunity rover
	200px	Spitzer Space Telescope
		ICESat
		Coriolis
2004		Rosetta
		Aura
		Swift
		Gravity Probe B
	200px	MESSENGER
2006	200px	New Horizons
2006		STEREO
2007		Dawn
2007		Phoenix

2010s[edit]

Year	Spacecraft	Description
2010	GSAT-4
2010	Solar Dynamics Observatory
2011	Curiosity rover	The Curiosity Rover uses a pair of identical on-board computers called Rover Computer Element (RCE), each with RAD750 CPU capable of 400 MIPS.
2012	Project Morpheus
2015	Triana

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Over the years various [[microprocessors]] have been used in many different spacecrafts. Microprocessors are used in spacecrafts are designed to be exceptionally reliable and [[radiation hardening|highly durable]]. Because of that, often the same set of chips that have been tested and proven to work are used in many spacecrafts. Below is a '''list of microprocessors used in spacecrafts'''.
+Throughout the years, [[microprocessor]]s have played a large role in spacecrafts. [[space-qualified microprocessor]]s are designed to be exceptionally reliable and [[radiation hardening|highly durable]]. Due to their unique nature, the same set of chips that have been tested and proven to work are used in many spacecrafts. Below is a list of '''microprocessors used in spacecraft'''.
+<div class="htoc notoctitle nonumtoc center">__TOC__</div>
+== 1950s ==
+{| class="wikitable"
+|-
+! Year !! Picture !! Spacecraft !! Chipset
+|-
+| rowspan="2" | 1959-1963 || rowspan="2" | [[File:Mercury Friendship7 Bassett Celestia.jpg|200px]] || rowspan="2" | [[Wikipedia:Mercury spacecraft|Mercury spacecraft]] || style="text-align: center;" | None
+|-
+| '''Description''': The [[Wikipedia:Mercury spacecraft|Mercury spacecraft]], NASA's first human spaceflight, had barely enough space for a single occupant. The spacecraft had no independent maneuvering capabilities - relying completely on the Atlas booster rocket. Because of that, it was unnecessary for the spacecraft to have a dedicated on-board computer. Limited functionality was done by various smaller systems.
+|}
 == 1960s ==
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
-! Year !! Picture !! Spacecraft !! Description
+! rowspan="2" | Year !! rowspan="2" | Picture !! rowspan="2" | Spacecraft !! colspan="5" | Chipset
+|-
+! style="width: 25%;" | System !! Processor !! Frequency !! Memory !! Weight
+|-
+| rowspan="2" | 1962-1966 || rowspan="2" | [[File:Gemini spacecraft.jpg|200px]] || rowspan="2" | [[Wikipedia:Gemini Spacecraft|Gemini Spacecraft]] || [[Gemini Guidance Computer]] || [[discrete logic|discrete IC]] RTL || 7.143 kHz || 19.5 KB || 58.98 lb
 |-
-| 1959-1963 || [[File:Mercury Friendship7 Bassett Celestia.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Mercury spacecraft|Mercury spacecraft]] || The [[Wikipedia:Mercury spacecraft|Mercury spacecraft]], NASA's first human spaceflight, had barely enough space for a single occupant. The spacecraft had no independent maneuvering capabilities - relying completely on the Atlas booster rocket. Because of that, it was unnecessary for the spacecraft to have a dedicated on-board computer. Limited functionality was done by various smaller systems.
+| colspan="5" | The [[Wikipedia:Gemini Spacecraft|Gemini Spacecraft]] was part of Project Gemini, NASA's second human spaceflight program.
 |-
-| 1962-1966 || [[File:Gemini spacecraft.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Gemini Spacecraft|Gemini Spacecraft]] || The [[Wikipedia:Gemini Spacecraft|Gemini Spacecraft]], part of Project Gemini, NASA's second human spaceflight program, that ran from 1965-1966, carried an on-board digital computer called the [[Gemini Guidance Computer]]. The computer, which weighted fifty pounds and measured nineteen inches long, had about 19.5KB of memory.
+| rowspan="2" | 1961-1972 || rowspan="2" | [[File:Apollo CSM lunar orbit.jpg|200px]] || rowspan="2" | [[Wikipedia:Apollo spacecraft|Apollo spacecraft]] || [[Apollo Guidance Computer]] || [[discrete logic|discrete IC]] RTL || 2.048 MHz || 4 KB (RAM)<br />73.73 KB (ROM) || 70 lb
 |-
-| 1961-1972 || [[File:Apollo CSM lunar orbit.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Apollo spacecraft|Apollo spacecraft]] || The [[Wikipedia:Apollo spacecraft|Apollo spacecraft]], part of the [[Wikipedia:Apollo program|Apollo program]], NASA's third human spaceflight program, that ran from 1961 to 1972, carried an on-board digital computer called the [[Apollo Guidance Computer]]. The 16-bit computer weighted 70 pounds and consumed 55W had a clock speed of 2.048 MHz.
+| colspan="5" | The [[Wikipedia:Apollo spacecraft|Apollo spacecraft]] was part of the [[Wikipedia:Apollo program|Apollo program]], NASA's third human spaceflight program.
 |}
@@ Line 20: / Line 35: @@
 | 1971 || rowspan="2" | [[File:Pioneer 10-11 spacecraft.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Pioneer 10|Pioneer 10]] || The [[Wikipedia:Pioneer 10|Pioneer 10]], which was launched on March 3, 1972, became the first spacecraft to achieve escape velocity from the Solar System. The spacecraft's process were made of individual [[transistor-transistor logic]] chips. A common myth is that the [[Intel 4004]] powered the Pioneer 10, however, this is incorrect.
 |-
-| rowspan="2" | 1973 || [[Wikipedia:Pioneer 11|Pioneer 11]] || The [[Wikipedia:Pioneer 11|Pioneer 11]], was launched on April 6, 1973  in order to study the [[Wikipedia:Asteroid belt|Asteroid belt]]. Just like it's twin prob, the Pioneer 10, its CPU was also a custom-designed [[transistor-transistor logic|TTL]] CPU.
+| rowspan="2" | 1973 || [[Wikipedia:Pioneer 11|Pioneer 11]] || The [[Wikipedia:Pioneer 11|Pioneer 11]], was launched on April 6, 1973  in order to study the [[Wikipedia:Asteroid belt|Asteroid belt]]. Just like it's twin probe, the Pioneer 10, its CPU was also a custom-designed [[transistor-transistor logic|TTL]] CPU.
 |-
 | [[File:Skylab (SL-4).jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Skylab|Skylab]] || The [[Wikipedia:Skylab|Skylab]], which was launched on May 14, 1973, and operated until 1979, used an [[IBM System/4Pi]] model TC-1 (Tactical Computer), a miniaturized and hardened version of the [[IBM System/360]] computers.
 |-
-| rowspan ="2" | 1975 || rowspan="2" | [[File:Viking spacecraft.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Viking 1|Viking 1]] || rowspan="2" | The [[Wikipedia:Viking 1|Viking 1]], the first of two spacecrafts, was launched on August 20, 1975. The [[Wikipedia:Viking 2|Viking 2]], was launched a litter later on September 9, 1975 The computer on-board the Viking Orbiter was the [[Viking Orbiter CCS]], a custom 18-bit TTL computer designed by General Electric. The lander computers, the [[Guidance, Control and Sequencing Computer]], used two [[Honeywell HDC 402]] microprocessors. (A common myth is that the Viking used an [[RCA 1802]], this is incorrect).
+| rowspan ="2" | 1975 || rowspan="2" | [[File:Viking spacecraft.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Viking 1|Viking 1]] || rowspan="2" | The [[Wikipedia:Viking 1|Viking 1]], the first of two spacecrafts, was launched on August 20, 1975. The [[Wikipedia:Viking 2|Viking 2]], was launched a year later on September 9, 1975 The computer on-board the Viking Orbiter was the [[Viking Orbiter CCS]], a custom 18-bit TTL computer designed by General Electric. The lander computers, the [[Guidance, Control and Sequencing Computer]], used two [[Honeywell HDC 402]] microprocessors. (A common myth is that the Viking used an [[RCA 1802]], this is incorrect).
 |-
 | [[Wikipedia:Viking 2|Viking 2]]
@@ Line 53: / Line 68: @@
 | 1990 || [[File:HST-SM4.jpeg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Hubble Space Telescope|Hubble Space Telescope]] ||
 |-
-| rowspan="2" | 1991 || [[File:UARS 1.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite|UARS]] ||
+| rowspan="2" | 1991 || [[File:UARS 1.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite|UARS]. The UARS spacecraft used the NASA Standard Spacecraft Computer (NSSC-1), although the various instruments probably had embedded microprocessors.] ||
 |-
 | [[File:Cartoon CGRO.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Compton Gamma Ray Observatory|CGRO]] ||
@@ Line 77: / Line 92: @@
 | rowspan="3" | 1997 || [[File:Mars Global Surveyor.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Mars Global Surveyor|Mars Global Surveyor]] ||
 |-
-| [[File:Sojourner on Mars PIA01122.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Mars Global Surveyor|Mars Global Surveyor]] ||
+| [[File:Sojourner on Mars PIA01122.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Sojourner_(rover)|Mars Sojourner Rover]] || 80C85 CPU.
 |-
 | [[File:Cassini Saturn Orbit Insertion.jpg|200px]] || [[Wikipedia:Cassini–Huygens|Cassini–Huygens]] ||

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